Thread by @christianbluth

Two days ago, I travelled from Heidelberg, Germany to Florence, Italy for work. I'm struck by how different things are in the two countries. Given that few people have the opportunity to travel these days, I thought I might share my impressions in a short thread. (1/11) #CoVid19

First, why did I go back in the first place? We all know that the CoVid crisis was much worse in Italy. As an economist, I am used to relying on statistics to interpret the world. The ratio of cases per inhabitants in Tuscany is 0.0027. In Baden-Württemberg, it's 0.0031. (2/11)

So hardly any difference. I have been following Italian newspapers closely which were full of news about a gradual easing of measures, opening of shops. My perception was that at least in Tuscany, things would probably not be too different. (3/11)

But they are. In Germany, almost all shops are open now. You have to wear a mask while indoors and pay attention to keeping the distance. People are out in the streets pretty much as normal. There is no sense of fear. (4/11)

Here, very few people are out in the street. They always wear masks, even if they are unaccompanied and outside. When I was running this morning, I didn't wear one. Even out in the hills of Fiesole (where I was running) people put on a mask as soon as they saw me... (5/11)

... there is a very palpable sense of fear amongst the people. Shops are allowed to be open, but only a relatively small fraction are actually open. Less actually in the touristic areas of Florence a little more in the more residential areas. (6/11)

When you enter a shop, you have to put on plastic gloves (very unconfortable). Sometimes you get your temperature taken. There are queues in front of supermarkets because the number of people allowed inside is limited. That also applies to German supermarkets... (7/11)

... but at least I never had to queue before being able to go inside.

The sense that I am getting is how different the CoVid19 crisis feels in Italy and in Germany, even if the numbers for Tuscany are not as bad as in other parts of the country. (8/11)

It feels much more serious in Italy. There is actual, palpable fear even while things are improving quickly now. It seems the psychology of the people is much more impacted that I realised via zoom - or how people in Germany react. (9/11)

I normally tweet about economics and very little about personal impressions. I made an exception because I felt it was important to comparatively communicate how things feel beyond the numbers. (10/11)

It makes me very sad to find my beloved Florence and Italy in such a state. I hope the country and the people will recover quickly.

Andrà tutto bene. (11/11)